Area seniors getting tech-savvy

Sunday

Mar 23, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Nowadays, older adults are just as plugged in as their children and grandchildren.

By Rick AllenStaff writer

Odds are, you own a smartphone.You're not alone. A count not long ago found that more than 148 million Americans with cellphones possess an iPhone, Android or Windows device. That's 58 percent of American adults, and the number's expected to only get bigger.But what may have surprised some people last year was the demographic posting the largest increase in social media usage: older Americans aged 50 and older.“Six out of 10 Internet users ages 50-64 are social networking site users, as are 43 percent of those ages 65 and older,” according to the Pew Research Center, which has been tracking such usage since 2005.Overall, 72 percent of all adults online in 2013 checked in, posted or tweeted, up five percentage points from the year before. In 2005, only 6 percent of those 50-64 used social media such as Facebook, Twitter and such; and fewer than 1 percent were 65 and older. Of course, in 2005 only 8 percent of all Internet users were linked in, according to the Pew study.What it means is, nowadays, older adults are just as plugged in as their children and grandchildren.“It's their lifeline,” said Ian Primer, who at 25 isn't in the demographic, but who works with hundreds who are as the communication coordinator at The Village of Gainesville Retirement Community. Residents, he said, “use their devices for their schedules, Facebook, email, reminders, downloaded books and games.”Of the 600-plus independent residents at The Village, he said, “more than half have at least a computer, and more than 20 percent have other devices; some have multiple devices.” He's on-call to help them set up their apps, remove viruses and so forth. And every other Monday, he holds a class for about 30 residents on the finer points of their iPads.“They use them for everything,” he said.Moreover, Primer oversees the community's closed-circuit TV channel that carries announcements, menus, upcoming events and so forth; it has a mobile-device app tied to it that contains even more stuff. “Very cool,” noted Paula Bowlan, resident life manager at The Village.And not unusual. A year ago, Forbes.com ran a report citing the “All Assisted Living Homes 2010 report,” which noted that “11 percent of Facebook users are seniors.” Why? “Mostly to connect with others, just the same as every other Facebook user,” according to the report.Take, for example, Millie Grissom in Ocala, who said she and her children communicate through the computer. “I tell them not to call,” she said.Grissom, 72, said she balked initially. But at the urging of her son, Rob Grissom, “one day, I tried it — and I became a fan right away.” A self-described “political junkie,” she said she jumps into Facebook's political debates — that is when she's not emailing or playing Farmville, Candy Crush or Bedazzled.“This keeps me connected to the world.”Rob, a manufacturing representative for Samsung, said he helps a lot of seniors like his mother set up and use their new technology.“They're picking it up really well,” he said. “It's neat to see the excitement on their faces with their first Skype session with their grandkids.”The Harvard Business Review recently determined that, on average, 19 percent — 410 minutes a month — of our smartphone time is dedicated to socializing. More than twice that, 864 minutes a month, is for “me” time of watching videos, playing games and such.But for Ed Seeman of Ocala, being connected means business — even at 82. A lifelong animator of cartoon TV commercials, he was shunted aside when computer animation became the norm. But now, to supplement his Social Security, “I create digital art every day and post it to my friends and relatives on my Facebook page” and his website, he said. His wife runs an eBay store and bookkeeps for others.“Our life would be devastated and lonely without our Macs,” he wrote in an email.Still, not every senior wants total immersion. Jerri Hacker emailed from Keystone Heights that she's as competent on a computer as anyone else, “but this is it. Not one step further. I'm currently resisting Twitter, texting and Facebook.”She didn't say how old she is; her only hint was the reference, “back in the '80s when I was barely in my 60s.” Even so, she held out a glimmer of hope to her nieces and nephews: “Maybe when I get a little older, I'll get on Facebook or send out some tweets or something … But. Just. Maybe.”Gainesville's Cristina Stuart, on the other hand, is all in. She has a desktop PC, laptop, iPhone, iPad, Kindle and Kindle Fire. And uses all of them regularly. She said she loves checking out new apps.“I'm on Facebook constantly,” said Stuart, who'll be 69 in April. “I can't live without it. I get up in the morning, get a cup of coffee, sit down at the computer and text all day.“Some days,” she added, “I feel like a teenager.”

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Here are some comments from readers on the role of social media in their lives:

■ “Things have changed sooo much with this new technology. What timesavers we have now. [I] can text in just a few seconds with my phone, [and] read a book with my Kindle. Now, my passion is my iPad. Every time a new gadget comes out, my daughters give me the items for a gift. “Anyway, thanks to all the creators of these fine instruments to make our fast-track living even faster. Oh, by the way, I am 74, and most of my friends don't know how to text or take pictures with their cellphone … so I feel so proud of myself for teaching an old dog new tricks!”— Teddie Gause, Ocala

■ “I am 71, a retired nurse, semi-invalid and delighted with the worlds my computer opened for me. While still working, I was able to renew my license, research and shop online. Since I retired, I do the same but have investigated ancestry, read my news and other information, use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family and find people not seen in over 60 years. I was brought into the computer world kicking and screaming, but I have learned to love it … in my way.” — Noel Carole Sundheimer, Bronson

■ “I am 70 years old. My daughter-in-law in London signed me up for Facebook five years ago. With my only grandchildren 4,000-plus miles away, I quickly became a user.“Because I live in an isolated area, I have become dependent on my devices (computer, iPhone5, iPad Air) to stay connected to civilization.“I took an online class in Adobe Illustrator last summer, and [recently] started an online course in website design.” — Pamela Morse, Trenton

■ “I am so grateful that my kids patiently, albeit persistently, pushed me into the world of 'Apple.'“I am a grandmother to five wonderful children, who live a great distance from us. But thanks to FaceTime and Skype, I am able to see and talk in person with them. They know us when we do get to visit.”— Lyn DeKold, Gainesville

■ “Living in Florida away from children and grand-children is the pits. But thanks to Facebook, email and 'streaming' I keep up.“One season all three of my grandsons were on the same varsity team for their high school soccer team. I was able to go online and thanks to 'streaming' was able to watch the championship game where they won the Michigan state title game for their division. Let me tell you there was lots of tears and yelling at my end!!!“I also have grandchildren in Montana, and by reading their local paper online, I see pictures of them in the daily school/sports events. My granddaughter back in Michigan constantly keeps me informed with pictures, etc., by Facebook of her life and events. What would I ever do without the social network?”— Joyce Lomont Crowl, Gainesville

■ “I am a 65-year-old Facebook Freak, and it's all my daughter Farrah's fault. She should totally be grounded. I was never a stranger to computers, having used them in the workplace. But digital music? DVRs? Social media?“But her gift of an iPod Nano changed my world. I finally let go of the notion that one needed a physical thingie to represent a favorite song. And soon to follow was Facebook.“ 'What's going on with you, honey?' I asked her one day in one of our rare phone conversations. “ 'It's all on Facebook, Mom,' she replied. “ 'Well, can't you tell me things anyway?'“(I could HEAR her eye roll...) 'Mom, you need to get on Facebook!'“I eventually succumbed. Talk about another jolt to my world! “My Christmas gift last year from Farrah and her husband, Patrick, was my first smartphone. After initially screaming in panic over this foreign, hand-held computer with touch-screen technology, I soon joined in with millions of other crazy iPhone users in becoming completely addicted.”— Jill Hessey Miller, Gainesville

■ “I used to be a very fast typist and loved doing newsletters with what I considered a wonderful new innovation, the computer. But then I had two strokes and could not use my paralyzed left hand on the computer.“My days are spent in a lift-chair and, at 80 years of age, I have discovered a wonderful new device: the iPad. I can keep up with my email, look things up and have even ventured into the uncharted waters of Facebook. It makes me feel still connected to the outside world. It's exhilerating to keep meeting new challenges.”— Jeanne Rochford, Gainesville (Sent from my iPad)